Loading machine



Dec. 12, 1939. w. W .$L OANE 2,1836583 LOADING MACHINE Filed May 7, 1936 Sheets-Sheet 1 12, 1939. w. w. SLOANE 2,183,383

LCADING MACHINE Filed May 7, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ill- Patented Dec. 12, 1939 ,iassa 2,183,383 LOADING MACHINE William W. Sloane, Chicago, 111., assignor to Goodman Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application May 7, 1936, Serial No. 78,433

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in loading machines of the type adapted to gather and load loose material such as coal from the ground and more particularly to gathering heads including gathering chains for initially picking up the loose material and loading it ontoa flight conveyer for discharge into mine cars or the like.

More specifically the present invention is an improvement in the form of gathering head dis- 10 closed-in a prior application, Serial No. 50,861,

filed by Frank Cartlidge, November 21, 1935, now Patent No. 2,135,882. I

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a more efficient gathering element of the 5' character described, especially designed to load material such as coal in a more efficient manner than formerly. I

In carrying out my invention, I provide gathering elements which are mounted on aprons which extend along the conveyer in parallel relation with respect thereto to the forward end thereof, which aprons are inclined forwardly and laterally towards the ground forwardly of the conveyer at a steeper angle than the angle of the conveyer. I also provide means for positively raising the gatheringelements at their rearward turning point and positively depressing the gathering elements at their forward turning point to cause them to follow the inclination of the aprons. The arrangement is such that the peripheral' speed of the gathering elements at their forward and rearward turning points is reduced which permits an increased gathering speed without increasing the speed of the gathering elements arrangement of aprons and gathering elements also permits a relatively straight conveyer to be utilized which will take up less vertical dimensions than formerly withoutincreasing the distance material must bemoved from the forward end of the aprons to the conveyer and without decreasing clearance between the underportion of the conveyer and the ground. 1 I

My invention may be more clearly understood 45 with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is aview in side elevation of the front portion of a loading machine, illustrating one form in which my invention may be embodied;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the gathering element in substantially longitudinal section with certain parts broken away in order to illustrate more clearly certain details of my invention;

at their upper and lower turning points. 'This Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of. the

lot 19s-s) gathering element drawn to the same scale as Figure 2, with certain parts broken away and shown in section in order to illustrate more clearly certain details of my invention;

Figure 4 is a detail side View of the forward end of the gathering and loading element with certain parts broken away and shown in substantially longitudinal section;

Figure 5 is a front end view of the gathering and loading element with certain parts broken away and shown in section in order to more clearly illustrate certain details of my invention and Figure 6 is a sectional View on reduced scale taken substantially along line 6-5 of Figure 3.

In the drawings my invention is shown as being embodied in a loadingmachine of the trackmounted type, the main elements of which are essentially the same as shown in a prior application, Serial No. 682,248, filed by Frank Cartlidge, July 26, 1933, which issued as Patent No. 2,066,- 137, December 29, 1936. In the form shown, the loading machine consists generally of a wheeled truck or main frame li'l having a horizontally and vertically swingable gathering and loading element Ii mounted at the forward end thereof and extending forwardly therefrom, and a discharge conveyer l2 extending from beneath the rear end of said loading element. and upwardly and rearwardly therefrom. Said discharge conveyer is arranged to overhang the rearward end of said main frame (not shown) for discharging material into suitable receiving means, such as mine cars or the like.

The gathering and loading element it may, as usual, comprise an elevating conveyer frame I 4 pivotally supported for movement about a horizontal transverse axis between, a pair of parallel spaced upright supports l5, l5. Said supports are disposed at the forward end of said main frame and pivotally movable with respect thereto about a vertical axis to permit said conveyer frame to be moved in a horizontal plane. I The mechanism for effecting swinging movement of said supports and for pivotally swinging said. conveyer frame about its axis of pivotal connection to said upright supports may be similar to that disclosed in the aforementioned application of Frank Cartlidge, Serial No. 682,248, now Patent No. 2,066,137, and is not herein shown or described since it forms no part of my present invention. The elevating conveyer frame It includes a trough-like conveyer section It and a forward gathering section ll connected thereto in a suitable manner. Said forward gathering section has a pair of aprons l8, l8 extending along and laterally beyond opposite sides of the conveyer trough sect-ion. Said aprons also extend forwardly and downwardly from the forward end of the conveyer in planes inclined at a steeper angle with respect to the ground than the conveyer. The form of the forward end of each of said aprons is such that a forward end I80, thereof is formed in substantially the form of a semi-frusto-conical section whose base and top, as herein shown, are inclined in planes substantially parallel to the plane of the conveyer. The rear ends l8b, i819 of said aprons are flared upwardly along their outer sides in the form of reverse semi-frusto-conical sections, but cut away on their inner sides, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The two aprons I8, l8 are joined together at their forward ends by an inclined plate 33 extending rearwardly along said aprons upwardly to the forward end of the conveyer. Said plate is cut back between the semi-frusto-conical front end sections l8a, l8a of said aprons and merges with said aprons at the delivery edge onto the conveyer, as shown in Figures 2 and 3.

A plate l9 forms the bottom of the elevating conveyer section I6, along which the material is moved by the conveyer. The moving parts of the conveyer consist in a pair of parallel-spaced endless chains 2U, 20 having material engaging flights 2|, 2| carried therebetween at suitable intervals. The lower run of said chains extends downwardly beneath the plate l9 over adjustable idler rollers 24, 24 for taking up excessive slack in said chains, under idler rollers 25, 25 and around sprockets 26, 26 on a transversely extending shaft 21 immediately forwardly of the front margin of the plate I9. From thence said chains move upwardly over said plate to and around suitable drive sprockets (not shown) disposed at the rear end of the conveyer frame l4.

Immediately in front of the sprockets 26, 26 is a curved plate 29 substantially conforming to the form of the chains 23, 20 as they round said sprockets, and terminating at the delivery edge of the aprons I8, l8-and the plate 33, which edge is herein shown as being forwardly of the shaft 21. A bottom plate 32 extends across the bottom of the forward end of the conveyer frame and terminates at the forward ends of said aprons and the plate 33, and forms a shoe for supporting the gathering and loading element when it is engaged with the ground.

The means for gathering material and moving it onto the conveyer consists in a pair of endless chains 35, 35 orbitally guided in chain guides, generally indicated by reference characters 36, 36. Said chains have gathering arms 31, 31 extending laterally therefrom and pivotally mounted to swing upwardly and downwardly with respect thereto. Said gathering arms, as herein shown, are mounted between suitable spaced lugs 48, 48 extending laterally from certain links of said chain at suitable intervals along said chain on pivotal pins 49, 49.

Each of the chain guides 36 is mounted on the apron IS in a suitable manner and extends along opposite sides of the conveyer from points disposed forwardly of the forward end thereof and in rearwardly diverging paths so that said gathering arms swing in paths extending forwardly beyond the forward end of said apron at their lower turning point, and move laterally away from the conveyer as they move rearwardly therealong.

It will be observed that the plate IQ of the elevating conveyer is substantially parallel with, but below the portion of the aprons l8, [8 along which the chain guides 36 are mounted.

Each endless chain 35 is driven from a sprocket 38 mounted on a shaft 39 disposed perpendicular to a rearward portion of the chain guide 36 and journaled therein. A bevel gear 40 is keyed on the lower end of the shaft 39 and is driven from a bevel gear 4| on a transversely extending shaft 42. A sprocket 43 is keyed on said shaft and is driven from the transversely extending shaft 21 by means of a chain and sprocket drive, generally indicated by reference character 45.

The means for releasing or clearing the material on the conveyer from the gathering arms includes a lifting cam 46 which extends along the inside of each chain guide from a point adjacent the forward end of the conveyer, to and partially around the point where the gathering arms turn away from the conveyer. Said lifting cam is adapted to engage a heel 41 depending from each gathering arm, so as to raise said arms gradually to a maximum as they pass around their rearward turning point. The upper semiirustc-conical section [811 of the apron has its inner edge substantially in line with the cam 46, and extends inwardly around the rearward turning point of the gathering arms to form an auxiliary support for said arms after they leave said cam surface. From thence, the outer margins of the apron l8 bend downwardly toward the front end sections Illa, I811, so that the arms may swing from their elevated angles to a depressed angle with respect to the ground when they reach their forward turning point.

Suitable means are provided for positively guiding the gathering arms to their depressed angle at their forward turning points, which herein include rollers 50, 50 forming directionchanging devices about which the gathering chains 35, 35 turn at the forward end of the chain-guiding members 36, 36. Each of said rollers is rotatably mounted on a stud shaft 54 moimted at its ends in the forward end of the chain guide 36 and disposed perpendicular to the plane surface of the apron l8. Each roller is provided with a lower flange 51 which has a downwardly and inwardly inclined periphery which is adapted to engage the heel 41 of the gathering arm 31. Each roller is also provided with an upper flange 52 of greater diameter than flange 5i and having an inwardly and downward- 1y inclined periphery which is adapted to engage a projection 53 extending upwardly from said gathering arm.

Thus, when the gathering arms are passing around their respective rollers 50, 50 and are engaged ,with the flanges 5| and 52, they will be positively pivoted in a downward direction with respect to their respective supporting chains to swing in a path that conforms to the contour of the front apron sections l8a, l8a.

The forward ends of the gathering arms are thus elevated as they approach their upper turning point to assist in releasing the material on the conveyer, and are depressed at their lower turning point to travel along and gather material from the ground. Accordingly, a relatively straight inclined conveyer may be utilized having a relatively flat angle relative to the ground without increasing the distance from the forward end of the apron I8 to the conveyer, and

said gathering arms may have a more positive engagement with the material it is desired to pickup. .Also, the effective length of the gathering arms is decreased at their upper and lower turning points, where their speed is the greatest, which permits a greater chain speed and gathering capacity than formerly without increasing the speed of the arms at their upper and lower turning points.

While I have herein shown and described, one form in which my invention may be embodied, it will be understood that the construction and arrangement of the various parts may be changed or altered without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Furthermore, I do not wish to be construed as limiting myself to the precise construction illustrated, excepting as it may be limited in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an elevating conveyer, an apron extending along each side of said con- Veyer and forwardly therefrom to the ground, the forward ends of each of said aprons being in the form of semi-frusto-conical sections, gathering means on each of said aprons including laterally projecting gathering arms, and means for positively deflecting said gathering arms downwardly towards the ground at their forward turning points to conform to the contour of said aprons.

2. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an inclined endless conveyer, a pair of aprons, each of which extends along one side of said conveyer and beyond the forward end thereof, the forward ends of said aprons being in the form of spaced-apart semifrusto-conical sections adapted to engage the ground, the space between said front end sections of said aprons being joined by a plate inclined upwardly from the ground in a rearward direction and converging into said aprons and having a delivery edge at the forward end of the conveyer so as to form an upwardly inclined channel between said aprons to the delivery edge of the conveyer, and gathering means extending along each of said aprons at opposite sides of said conveyer and including laterally projecting gathering arms arranged to conform to the contour of said aprons and move material along said channel and onto said conveyer.

3. In a loading machine, an elevating conveyer, an inclined apron extending along and forwardly of said conveyer and having a forward end inclined at a greater angle with respect to the ground than the rearward portion thereof, an endless chain movable along said apron adapted to gather and discharge material onto said conveyer, gathering arms pivotally mounted on said chain for vertical movement relative to its normal plane of travel, means for positively raising said arms as they approach their upward turning point away from said conveyer, and means for pivoting said gathering arms downwardly about their axes of pivotal connection to said chains for positively depressing said arms during their lower turning movement toward said conveyer to cause said arms to conform to the inclination of the forward end of said apron and positively position the forward ends of said arms adjacent the ground forwardly of said apron.

4. In a loading machine, an elevating conveyer, an inclined apron extending along eachside of and forwardly "of said conveyer and having a forward end inclined at a greater angle with respect to the ground than the rearward portion thereof, a pair of spaced endless chains disposed above said apron and extending along opposite sides of saidc'onveyer, said chains having gathering arms pivotally mounted thereon for vertical movement relative to their normal plane of travel and extending beyond the forward end of said apron at the lower turning points of said chains, means for positively raising said arms as they approach their upward turning points away from said conveyor, and means for pivoting said gathering arms downwardly about their axes of pivotal connection to said chains, for positively depressing said arms during their lower turning movement towards said conveyer, to cause said arms to conform to the inclination of the forward end of said apron and positively position the forward ends. of said arms adjacent the ground forwardly of said apron.

5. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an inclined endless conveyer, gathering means extending forwardly of said inclined conveyer andalong opposite sides thereof including endless chains having gathering anns mounted thereon and extending laterally therefrom, an apron extending along each side of said conveyer and forwardly therefrom, the forward end of said apron being adapted to engage the ground, and the sides and forward end of said apron being inclined at a greater angle with respect to the ground than said inclined conveyer and the rearward portion of said apron, and means for pivoting said gathering arms in a downward direction for depressing said gathering arms with respect to said chain during their lower turning movement to cause them to move in. paths conforming substantially to the shape of the forward end of said apron.

6. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an elevating conveyer, gathering means extending forwardly of said conveyer and along opposite sides thereof inciuding chains having gathering arms pivotally mounted thereon and extending laterally therefrom, an apron extending along each side of said conveyer and forwardly therefrom, the forward end of said apron being adapted to engage the ground and the sides and the portion of said apron ahead of the conveyer being inclined at a greater angle with respect to the ground than said inclined conveyer and the portion of said apron extending along said conveyer, and means engaging each of said arms above and below the pivotal axis thereof for pivoting said gathering arms in a downward direction for positively depressing said arms relative to their respective chains during their lower turning movement and holding them from pivotal movement with respect to said apron at the forward end thereof to cause said arms to conform to the inclination of the forward end of said apron and positively position the forward ends of said arms adjacent the ground forwardly of said apron.

7. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an elevating conveyer, gathering means extending forwardly of said conveyer and along opposite sides thereof including chains having gathering arms pivotally mounted thereon and extending laterally therefrom, an apron extending along each side of said conveyer and forwardly therefrom, the forward end of said apron being adapted to engage the ground and the sides and forward end of said apron being inclined at a greater angle with respect to the ground than said inclined conveyer,

and rotatable guide means for positively pivoting said gathering arms in a downward direction and depressing said arms relative to their respective chains during their lower turning movement.

8. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an elevating conveyer, gathering means extending forwardly of said conveyer and along opposite sides thereof and including endless chains having laterally extending gathering arms pivotally mounted thereon for vertical movement relative to their plane of travel, and a pair of aprons along which said gathering means move, each of said aprons extending along one side of said conveyer and beyond the forward end thereof, the outer sides and forward ends of said aprons being inclined downwardly towards the ground and forming a pair of spaced-apart semi-frusto-conical sections, means for positively raising said arms as they approach their upward turning point, and rotatable guide means for positively depressing said arms to conform to the contour of said aprons during their lower turning movement.

9. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an elevating conveyer, gathering means extending forwardly of said conveyer and along opposite sides thereof and including endless chains having laterally extending gathering arms pivotally mounted thereon for vertical movement relative to their plane of travel, and a pair of aprons along which said gathering means move, each of said aprons extending along one side of said conveyer and beyond the forward end thereof, the outer sides and forward ends of said aprons being inclined downwardly towards the ground and forming a pair of spaced-apart semi-frusto-conical sections, and said sections being joined by an inclined plate so as to form an open channel along which said gathering arms may move material onto said conveyer, means for positively raising said arms as they approach their upward turning point, and other means for positively depressing said arms to conform to the contours of said aprons during their lower turning movement.

10. In a loading machine, a gathering and loading element comprising an elevating conveyer, gathering means extending forwardly of said conveyer and along opposite sides thereof including chains having gathering arms pivotally mounted thereon and extending laterally therefrom, an apron extending along each side of said conveyer and forwardly therefrom, the forward end of said apron being adapted to engage the ground and the sides and forward end of said apron being inclined at a greater angle with respect to the ground than the rearward portion thereof, and rotatable means engaging each of said arms above and below the pivotal axis thereof for positively moving said gathering arms in a downward direction with respect to said chain and positively depressing said arms relative to their respective chains during their lower turning movement to cause said arms to conform to the contour of the forward end of said apron.

WILLIAM W. SLOANE. 

